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November 11, 2010
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Monday, November 15, 2010 from 5-9 PM.
Funeral Services will be held at the funeral home on Tuesday, November 16, 2010 at 10 AM, then to Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery in Union, NJ for a committal service.
John I. Karsmarski, age 92 of Maplewood, New Jersey, died peacefully on Veterans Day, November 11, 2010. He had been at home receiving the loving care of his family and appeared to be smiling.
John had been born in Camden, New Jersey in 1918. Soon thereafter his family moved to Newark, where he lived until 1969. He attended Central High School, but like so many at that time, he left school to support his family. He began working at J. Wiss & Sons, a tool manufacturer in Newark that specialized in making all sorts of cutting tools; scissors, knives and snips. His earliest job there was as a ‘dresser’, sharpening tools on a grindstone. He spent his entire working career at ‘Wiss’, save for three years while he served in World War II. He retired in 1979, after forty two years of dedicated employ.
In 1943, John began his service in the U.S. Army. After completing his basic training at Camp Roberts, California, he received additional training as a Fire Control Instrument Operator which would later put him in command of an Anti Aircraft Weapons System in the European Theatre. He often reminisced about his time in Europe, while he was in charge of a 40mm Anti Aircraft gun and its crew, laughing as he told his friends and family; “I don’t know how we were able to win that war, we couldn’t hit anything with that gun!” That was John; able to find the humor in just about everything, no matter how emotionally difficult the situation truly was. He remained in Europe well into 1946 before being discharged and returning home.
John’s family still has many of the wartime letters he sent to his wife Olga. The terms “sweetheart”, “darling”, and many other endearing terms, are used throughout those notes sent during the years and months that he was away. She was undoubtedly a strong force in keeping his spirits high during his wartime service. They had known each other through their community and were married in 1943, just before John ‘shipped out’. Upon his return, they settled in Newark and began to raise a family. They moved to Maplewood in 1969 and sadly, Olga passed away in 1978, just one year before John retired from J. Wiss & Sons. They had been married for thirty five years.
John had always enjoyed bowling and in his retirement he played in several leagues, most of them based at Garden State Bowl in Union. He played very well and has the trophies to prove it. On his refrigerator still hangs a newspaper clipping from 1995; “Karsmarski Tops Union Co. Srs.”, a tournament in which he won the ‘over 70’ division, bowling a 718. To give you an idea how much he loved bowling; his daughter called him from home one evening because the hot water heater had broken and the basement was flooding. After the bowling alley had him paged over the loud speaker, he made his way to the phone and got the details of the growing disaster at home. He calmly said to his daughter; “I’m bowling. We’ll deal with it later.” As would have been ‘classic John’ fashion, he probably tried to fix that water heater with electrical tape or masking tape before realizing that it needed to be replaced. He continued to bowl well into his 80’s, when his hips stopped cooperating. At age 90, his great-grandchildren introduced him to Wii bowling and he was so excited to be able to bowl once again, you could hear his laughter throughout the house.
In the early 1980’s, John met Marion Ferrara at the bowling alley. She introduced herself and offered a challenge; if she could bowl a certain score, then he would have to take her to dinner. She lost the challenge, but John was no ‘turkey’ and he took her out anyway. That challenge turned out to be a ‘win-win’ for both of them, as they built a loving relationship and enjoyed each others company for the next eighteen years. Marion passed away in 2000 and John was heartbroken. But lucky for him, he had also built loving relationships with all of Marion’s family over those eighteen years and he found great joy and comfort in visiting and spending time with them, keeping Marion’s memory close to his heart. The Ferrara and Comforti families all loved him as if he was their own dad and grandpa.
John was also a big Yankees fan. This year, as he lay in bed watching the play-offs, he was in denial that the Yankees had lost. He was convinced that the TV reports and the newspapers had it all wrong – ‘there’s one more game for them to play!’ He was confident that they would make it to the World Series once again.
John spent many family vacations at the Jersey Shore and countless weekends enjoying the beach and surf. John was a great swimmer and spent hours in the water. His daughter Nancy recalls as a child feeling ‘so safe’ in his arms as he played with her and her sister Elaine in the waves at Ocean Beach. To this day, the Fourth of July is one of the families favorite holidays, no doubt because of all the great memories and fanfare enjoyed at the Jersey Shore for so many years.
John had a very clear sense of honesty and integrity as well. One example is when he was involved in a car accident. After the insurance company surveyed the damage, they determined that his car was totaled. When he received the settlement check in the mail, he quickly declared “my car isn’t worth this much!” and mailed the check back! What a guy.
John is survived by his two loving and caring daughters; Elaine and her husband Craig of Flemington, NJ and Nancy Harlow of Merrimack, NH, three grandchildren; Brianna of Flemington, NJ, Laura Vander May and her husband Ken of Wayne, NJ, and Scott Harlow and his wife Elizabeth of Bedford, NH, five great-grandchildren; Courtney, Emily and Nicholas Vander May of Wayne, NJ, and Kianna and Riley Harlow of Bedford, NH, and his extended family; Alie and Steven Ferrara and their children; Alexandria, Danielle and the late Christopher, and Patty and Don Comforti and their daughter Caity. John was there at Caity's birth and a special bond developed that exists today, 20 years later, with her and her dearly loved "Grandpa John". They will all miss him and his infectious laughter. John was predeceased by his wife, Olga (nee Gasko) in 1978.
Donations in John’s memory to St. Barnabas Hospice, 95 Old Short Hills Road, 1st Floor, West Orange, NJ 07052, would be greatly appreciated.
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Monday, November 15, 2010 from 5-9 PM.
Funeral Services will be held at the funeral home on Tuesday, November 16, 2010 at 10 AM, then to Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery in Union, NJ for a committal service.
November 11, 2010
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Monday, November 15, 2010 from 5-9 PM.
Funeral Services will be held at the funeral home on Tuesday, November 16, 2010 at 10 AM, then to Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery in Union, NJ for a committal service.
John I. Karsmarski, age 92 of Maplewood, New Jersey, died peacefully on Veterans Day, November 11, 2010. He had been at home receiving the loving care of his family and appeared to be smiling.
John had been born in Camden, New Jersey in 1918. Soon thereafter his family moved to Newark, where he lived until 1969. He attended Central High School, but like so many at that time, he left school to support his family. He began working at J. Wiss & Sons, a tool manufacturer in Newark that specialized in making all sorts of cutting tools; scissors, knives and snips. His earliest job there was as a ‘dresser’, sharpening tools on a grindstone. He spent his entire working career at ‘Wiss’, save for three years while he served in World War II. He retired in 1979, after forty two years of dedicated employ.
In 1943, John began his service in the U.S. Army. After completing his basic training at Camp Roberts, California, he received additional training as a Fire Control Instrument Operator which would later put him in command of an Anti Aircraft Weapons System in the European Theatre. He often reminisced about his time in Europe, while he was in charge of a 40mm Anti Aircraft gun and its crew, laughing as he told his friends and family; “I don’t know how we were able to win that war, we couldn’t hit anything with that gun!” That was John; able to find the humor in just about everything, no matter how emotionally difficult the situation truly was. He remained in Europe well into 1946 before being discharged and returning home.
John’s family still has many of the wartime letters he sent to his wife Olga. The terms “sweetheart”, “darling”, and many other endearing terms, are used throughout those notes sent during the years and months that he was away. She was undoubtedly a strong force in keeping his spirits high during his wartime service. They had known each other through their community and were married in 1943, just before John ‘shipped out’. Upon his return, they settled in Newark and began to raise a family. They moved to Maplewood in 1969 and sadly, Olga passed away in 1978, just one year before John retired from J. Wiss & Sons. They had been married for thirty five years.
John had always enjoyed bowling and in his retirement he played in several leagues, most of them based at Garden State Bowl in Union. He played very well and has the trophies to prove it. On his refrigerator still hangs a newspaper clipping from 1995; “Karsmarski Tops Union Co. Srs.”, a tournament in which he won the ‘over 70’ division, bowling a 718. To give you an idea how much he loved bowling; his daughter called him from home one evening because the hot water heater had broken and the basement was flooding. After the bowling alley had him paged over the loud speaker, he made his way to the phone and got the details of the growing disaster at home. He calmly said to his daughter; “I’m bowling. We’ll deal with it later.” As would have been ‘classic John’ fashion, he probably tried to fix that water heater with electrical tape or masking tape before realizing that it needed to be replaced. He continued to bowl well into his 80’s, when his hips stopped cooperating. At age 90, his great-grandchildren introduced him to Wii bowling and he was so excited to be able to bowl once again, you could hear his laughter throughout the house.
In the early 1980’s, John met Marion Ferrara at the bowling alley. She introduced herself and offered a challenge; if she could bowl a certain score, then he would have to take her to dinner. She lost the challenge, but John was no ‘turkey’ and he took her out anyway. That challenge turned out to be a ‘win-win’ for both of them, as they built a loving relationship and enjoyed each others company for the next eighteen years. Marion passed away in 2000 and John was heartbroken. But lucky for him, he had also built loving relationships with all of Marion’s family over those eighteen years and he found great joy and comfort in visiting and spending time with them, keeping Marion’s memory close to his heart. The Ferrara and Comforti families all loved him as if he was their own dad and grandpa.
John was also a big Yankees fan. This year, as he lay in bed watching the play-offs, he was in denial that the Yankees had lost. He was convinced that the TV reports and the newspapers had it all wrong – ‘there’s one more game for them to play!’ He was confident that they would make it to the World Series once again.
John spent many family vacations at the Jersey Shore and countless weekends enjoying the beach and surf. John was a great swimmer and spent hours in the water. His daughter Nancy recalls as a child feeling ‘so safe’ in his arms as he played with her and her sister Elaine in the waves at Ocean Beach. To this day, the Fourth of July is one of the families favorite holidays, no doubt because of all the great memories and fanfare enjoyed at the Jersey Shore for so many years.
John had a very clear sense of honesty and integrity as well. One example is when he was involved in a car accident. After the insurance company surveyed the damage, they determined that his car was totaled. When he received the settlement check in the mail, he quickly declared “my car isn’t worth this much!” and mailed the check back! What a guy.
John is survived by his two loving and caring daughters; Elaine and her husband Craig of Flemington, NJ and Nancy Harlow of Merrimack, NH, three grandchildren; Brianna of Flemington, NJ, Laura Vander May and her husband Ken of Wayne, NJ, and Scott Harlow and his wife Elizabeth of Bedford, NH, five great-grandchildren; Courtney, Emily and Nicholas Vander May of Wayne, NJ, and Kianna and Riley Harlow of Bedford, NH, and his extended family; Alie and Steven Ferrara and their children; Alexandria, Danielle and the late Christopher, and Patty and Don Comforti and their daughter Caity. John was there at Caity's birth and a special bond developed that exists today, 20 years later, with her and her dearly loved "Grandpa John". They will all miss him and his infectious laughter. John was predeceased by his wife, Olga (nee Gasko) in 1978.
Donations in John’s memory to St. Barnabas Hospice, 95 Old Short Hills Road, 1st Floor, West Orange, NJ 07052, would be greatly appreciated.
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